Taurus is wiser than Aries…
…because only ownership can defeat envy and competition.
I have an old article about how each zodiac sign can teach the previous sign a lesson with its own unique wisdom. If you’re a long-term follower, maybe you know. In case you don’t, here’s a link. I emphasised more how Aries is wiser than Pisces in that first article, because I wanted to show you how it’s a cycle and it’s not really about a hierarchy (Pisces is the “last” sign, after all… So our automatic reaction is to assume it’s the wisest. Nope. Not true. There’s no hierarchy. All signs are equally good, but we can look at them individually to learn interesting lessons).
I’ve come to the conclusion it might be worthwhile to turn that article into a series. So here I am today with the next sign in sequence: Taurus.
One important caveat for today: does competition always bring about envy or vice-versa? No. I’m just mentioning them together because of the similar energy. Aries can cause either or both. Every sign can cause problems (just like, as we already saw, Pisces can cause a “spoiled and entitled” attitude if it’s not careful). That’s the point of looking into the whole chart — no sign is entirely good in isolation. They all need each other.
This series can be interesting for you even if you’re not into Astrology, since I’m taking a philosophical look at the signs and disregarding much of the mysticism. I like metaphors. If you like them too, keep reading.
On to today’s article.
How do you handle the harmful excesses of competition?
A question we should all be asking in today’s world because of Capitalism, I’m sure.
I’m also pretty sure a lot of people already have a hypothesis for answering this question — usually along the lines of “let’s combat competition with equality”.
…That’s when a different crowd comes in and says, “actually, no, equality is flawed, what we need is equity: compensation for some, no change for others, a downgrade for a third group, and so on”.
Another counterculture interjects: “but who’s gonna be in charge of that, smartass?”
Everyone realises that we can’t agree on a leadership to implement this solution fairly because leaders can also be destructively competitive.
And that brings us back to where we started.
By the way, can you name the political movements above? Have fun in the comments. Feel free to call me crazy for looking into Astrology (of all things!) in order to decide on my own hypothesis for the problem of excessive competition, since it’s very off-the-wall and, uh, not your first choice perhaps. I don’t care. Let’s continue.
The cactus analogy goes like this:
Cacti are plants we don’t normally mess with. Most animals, likewise, tend to leave them alone too. I mean… We sometimes grow them for decorative or even nutritional purposes, but in this second case, it tends to be a bit of a last resort (or, well, a gourmet thing — but in both cases, not something you’d easily have every day, like “no bother”). The reason is… Well… They’re prickly. They’re a nuisance to handle. Even with protective equipment and specialised shears, uhhh… Why go through the trouble? You can’t just casually use a cactus, can you? No. You must be really, really, really invested into extracting something from inside a cactus in order to be successful at it (water, perhaps, or useful fibres, or [insert material here]), and even with your best efforts to stay safe, you might end up getting prickled here and there. It’s just how it is.
One could say cacti are territorial. Just like Taurus. They know how to defend their integrity and the precious stuff they hide inside, pretty well.
The answer to warding off excessive competition might be, after all, in “becoming cactus”. Let’s not forget that competition has an undertone of attack, of invasiveness. “I want what’s yours and I’ll take it away from you” is the competitive person’s motto. That’s also the sentiment behind envy, although envy is even worse than competition (at least the competitive improve THEMSELVES in the process too; the envious just want to destroy) but I digress.
“But Lucy, that’s not fool-proof”
…That’s what you’ll say to me if you’re new to the blog. I usually agree. Nothing is fool-proof, sweetheart. Now, stop being lazy and entitled, and look at reality instead of your feel-good fantasy. I’m not dwelling in absolutes here. I never do that. What I’m saying is there is a way to combat excessive competition. Did I say “competition” on its own? No. I said “excessive competition”. Don’t be butchering my phrases and taking bits and pieces out of context. Some adults need to re-learn reading comprehension, the Internet is dumbing them down, I understand. But please help me to help you.
I live by the Delphic maxims, particularly the first 3, and my writing is coloured by them likewise. “Nothing in excess” is important to keep in mind. I’m not sure what the Christian crowd has been doing all these centuries, but they don’t look like they understand nuance very well. If you’re from this background, it’s not your fault that you have a hard time with nuance and would rather automatically conclude “all-good”, “all-bad” from every situation you encounter, but please acknowledge the problem. You can’t resolve what you’re afraid to look at. I know it’s uncomfortable. But we need to look at it. There’s life beyond black-and-white thinking.
Some of you will think, “pfff, of course I already know that! What insolence! Black-and-white thinking is bad, I already stand against it”… But do you? Do you REALLY? Very deep down? Are you sure? I know it’s politically correct to say it. We’re not here to keep facades. Drop it. Look at reality. DO YOU?
I mean… When you hear people saying, “but if God existed, why is there injustice/suffering/(insert bad thing here)”, where are they from? Background-wise, where are they from? Somewhere culturally Christian, almost 100% of the times. I’m not judging, just saying it. This whole assumption, this whole expectation that the mere existence of a higher form of consciousness SHOULD bring about an all-good utopia… is black-and-white thinking. I’m not saying it’s “wrong” to be Atheist. No, it’s not. Feel free. But what I AM saying is there can be many reasons behind it, it doesn’t have to, obligatorily, every-single-time, come from a sentiment of “boo-hoo, I’m upset, things aren’t all-good”. Atheists from Buddhist, Hinduist, animist etc cultures (who haven’t been Westernised — an important caveat) don’t justify their Atheism with the same kind of black-and-white thinking. So, it’s cultural. It’s conditioned. It’s a form of autopiloting.
Who are the people who buy into fads and trends that promise something all-good, or a solution to an all-bad problem, or a one-size-fits-all, straight-out-the-shelf remedy? Overwhelmingly, Westerners. Coincidentally (or not), the same culture that came from a certain Empire which institutionalised Christianity. Any History book will tell you that.
I went on a bit of a tangent here, but this still relates to a problem the Taurus archetype is here to help us solve — the example given was a bit too religious perhaps, but you can apply the reasoning to other situations as well. For example, people’s intolerance for any piece of information that “appears imperfect” (because imperfect = not all-good, and oh no! That escapes black-and-white thinking! That’s unknown! That’s scary! Make it stop!). The knee-jerk reaction tends to be to feel negative feelings about what’s imperfect… Instead of recognising that imperfection is natural and…. huh? Could it be? Surprisingly beautiful!
This song is relevant here:
This is a very Taurus song. :) We’re talking about the Venus-ruled, springtime earth sign after all… But what people tend to forget is that it’s not a demure kind of Venus. It’s not Libra; It’s Taurus. There’s intensity, passion, spontaneity to it.
After all, it follows Aries. The lines between one sign and the other aren’t so strict, you know? Sometimes they blur a little. And as we already saw, Aries is full of energy and passion too — just with a different flavour. It’s a more competitive and aggressive flavour… Which Taurus can help us soften.
It might seem weird to regard Aries as “perfectionist”; A bit counterintuitive maybe, but true, because there can’t be competition without perfectionism. Imagine if Olympic athletes were like, “meh, good enough, I’ll stop training”. Would any of them ever reach the podium? No. But they’re athletes. They NEED Aries energy. We’re talking about something else here.
Taurus holds the wisdom of ownership — but this wisdom can’t be grasped if you only look at it literally.
I mean… when we think of ownership, we think of material goods. Places. Things. It comes with an undertone of attachment and all that “bad stuff” religions dislike. So how come it’s wise? Well, my friend, you’re looking at it literally. That’s not where the wisdom lies.
Take a second look at Isabella’s song above. Take a moment to enjoy her movements and gestures as well, not just the audio. It’s archetypal, like every fictional narrative. She sings about discovering a new power within her, doesn’t she? And when she does that, she’s also running away from her sister — the “invasive” Mirabel. She’s drawing a boundary, like “hey, I don’t want to hug you just yet, let me be”, but without using these words. And she’s also gentle with her boundary-enforcing, so much so that she gives Mirabel her hand when she’s falling off the tree. As if saying, “you’re inconvenient, I’m annoyed, but I don’t want you to get hurt”. That’s the Taurus softness I alluded to.
In this narrative (easy to grasp even if you haven’t seen the movie), Isabella shows us how she used to be very Aries-like, making “perfect poses” and “perfect flowers” to be the best at it and pursue an ideal which she could never quite reach… But now, she found Taurus within! She’s taking OWNERSHIP of that same exact power in a more spontaneous way because she no longer wants perfection. She says it!
I’m so sick of pretty, I want something true. Don’t you?
You see, in order to OWN something — ANYTHING — you must be able to look at it and say, “this is good enough. This is finished. This is mine”.
You need to let go of perfectionism, because perfectionism never leads you to the finished product. It can only lead you to constant improvement. So, if it’s improvement you need, ok, be Aries. But know when to stop. Know when to be Taurus.
It goes beyond just holding a chair or jewellery or some money and saying “it’s mine”, doesn’t it? The wisdom is not in these literal versions of ownership — it’s in the metaphor. It’s in owning your energy, so that others will have to work pretty damn hard if they want the slightest chance of stealing (or “vampirising”) it.
What you own — TRULY own — can’t be usurped. That is Taurus lesson to the world.
What you own is what you can enjoy having…
…Until this creates attachment, and Gemini comes to the rescue. Stay tuned.
